COVID-19 Grant Payments

The Hon. D.G.E. HOOD (15:02): Can the Treasurer outline whether there have been any attempts by businesses or individuals to dishonestly receive COVID-19 grant payments?

The Hon. R.I. LUCAS (Treasurer) (15:02): Sadly, the answer to the honourable member's question is yes. Revenue SA and Treasury have advised me that there have been 133 known applications of instances of alleged fraudulent grant application to the various grant schemes that the taxpayers of South Australia have generously provided to, in the most case, deserving and eligible businesses and individuals in South Australia. Pleasingly, I am able to report—and I will provide a little bit of detail—that at this stage there are only four known payments to people suspected of allegedly fraudulent grant applications, which has been established obviously after the grant application was paid.

Revenue SA has advised me that, as soon as instances are identified, a profile is developed of the nature of the attempt of fraudulent activity. Based on this, analytical tools are used to identify other similar applications, and for the point of identification key identifying features are used to filter all future similar payments. In all instances falsified evidence has been used by parties passing themselves off as legitimate registered businesses. In some cases, individuals are using somebody else's ABN that they might have obtained.

There have been a number of instances where the genuine business has contacted Revenue SA trying to lodge a legitimate application. After proving their bona fides, these applications have been paid. Revenue SA has initiated action to recover payments that have been processed, and all these instances have been reported to South Australia Police. South Australia Police have advised us they have commenced investigations by tracing bank accounts that have been used, along with investigating IP addresses from which online applications have been lodged. Initial advice is that many of the applications have been initiated from interstate in relation to this fraudulent activity.

I conclude by indicating that persons who seek to fraudulently obtain funding from taxpayers for supposedly eligible businesses, whether they are employing or otherwise, are being closely monitored. Any suspicions of fraudulent activity are being reported to South Australia Police, so persons ought to be aware that South Australia Police may be pursuing anyone who believes that there is easy money to be made by pinching somebody else's ABN and making fraudulent claims for taxpayer-funded business support payments for businesses that might be deemed to be, or should have been deemed to be, eligible because of the impacts of COVID-19.